ASPIRE
ASPIRE helps kids discover ‘what matters’
Community mentors,
students interact
By Katherine Lacaze
For Seaside Signal
At Seaside High School, every
senior is given the opportunity to
meet with an adult mentor as they
undertake the daunting task of
preparing for college and careers
after graduation.
While Upward Bound and Tal-
ent Search — federally funded
TRIO programs administered by
Clatsop Community College —
address the needs of low-income
and first-generation students, the
ASPIRE program looks out for
the rest.
“We want to make sure every
student has that one connection,”
said Matt Bisek, the high school’s
A chance for continuity
ordinator is to recruit and train
adult volunteers. His second job
with the district is working as the
liaison for Upward Bound and
mentoring about 25 students who
meet the qualifications.
He also is new to education,
coming from a background in
finances and sales. He recently
completed his master’s in educa-
tion, but instead of teaching, he
desired to work in an adminis-
trative role where he could make
the same impact and “feel like
what I do matters every day,” he
said.
He enjoys both mentoring
through Upward Bound but also
the program management re-
sponsibilities associated with his
role as ASPIRE coordinator. The
high school has had five different
Bisek, who is new to the dis-
trict this year, said his job as co-
See ASPIRE, Page 11B
ASPIRE coordinator. “It feels
good for them to know someone
is looking out for them to make
sure they don’t slip through the
cracks.”
ASPIRE, which is adminis-
tered statewide by the Oregon
Student Assistance Commission,
was inspired by a group of vol-
unteer mentors in North Bend
who met with high-schoolers and
“nagged” them about important
dates for college applications,
financial aid, apprenticeships,
internships and other preparatory
tasks for life after high school.
They were known as the North
Bend Naggers. From that con-
cept, ASPIRE was born, Bisek
said.
KATHERINE LACAZE/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL
Matt Bisek, coordinator for Seaside High School’s chapter of the ASPIRE
program.
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